Grieving daughter remembers MSU System president Basari Dimakuta Mapupuno with fondness
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 29 May) – For Shameena M. Mapupuno, the death of his father, lawyer Basari Dimakuta Mapupuno, was difficult to accept, but she dealt with it by recalling how dedicated he was to his job as president of the Mindanao State University System.
The head of MSU System, which comprises eight autonomous and three integrated campuses, died from cardiac arrest Tuesday in Marawi City. He was 61.
In accordance with Muslim rites, he was laid to his final resting place on the same day in Wato, Balindong, Lanao del Sur, where he was enthroned as “Sultan sa Malaeg.”
“Ama, wala ka na ba talaga? (Father, are you really gone?) I still can’t take it in. My heart and my mind can’t accept that you are gone. Every post about you thanked you for all the things you did for MSU—for being a great leader, for being a great mentor. You truly deserve every word of appreciation. You sacrificed so much of your time and energy for MSU—so much, that you even sacrificed your health,” Shameena wrote on her Facebook page after her father’s burial.
“I remember when we were at the hospital for a check-up. The doctor wanted you admitted, but you insisted on going back to MSU because you had an important meeting. You really loved MSU,” Shameena, an only child, and who is now in senior high school, recalled.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you in your final moments… I was too scared to look,” she confessed.
It was only when she was led into the hospital room that she saw her father, unresponsive, as nurses desperately tried to revive him. “I stood there for what felt like forever, just staring at your body. I didn’t want to accept that you were gone. I wanted to hear you say what you always did: ‘Okay lang ako!’” she wrote.
“But as I hugged you, I cried not only for you—I cried for Ina, too. She lost her husband. Her soulmate. Her life. Three people died on that day… but only one stopped breathing,” she said of her father whom she hugged inside the hospital room where he died.
“I love you, Ama. ‘Wag kang mag-alala, ako nang bahala kay Ina (I’ll take care of Mother).”
Ina is Mapupuno’s widow, Apasrah Macumbal, a physician.
While Shameena is still coping with her loss through qadr (spiritual acceptance) and tawakkul (trust in divine wisdom), the university has welcomed those who will pay their respects or “tibao” at MSU Marawi International Convention Center starting May 28.
Tributes have poured for Mapupuno from around the Bangsamoro region and other places.
“We have lost not only a distinguished leader in education but also a devoted son of Mindanao whose work touched the lives of many. His legacy will live on in every student he inspired and every institution he strengthened,” said BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua.
Sulu Governor Abdusakur M. Tan called him a “devoted scholar and guiding light” in the Muslim Ummah, whose impact on Islamic learning and understanding would remain etched in history.
J. Prospero E. de Vera III, Commission on Higher Education Chairperson, speaking on behalf of the MSU Board of Regents, emphasized the late president’s transformative leadership. “He led with quiet strength, wisdom, and a profound sense of duty… His tenure was marked by meaningful reforms and a vision of inclusive, transformative education.”
Mapupuno wore many hats throughout his career—Sultan of Malaeg, Dean of the MSU College of Law, Provincial Prosecutor of Lanao del Sur, and a legal luminary.
He was known for his integrity, humility, and tireless dedication to public service, said lawyer Naguib G. Sinarimbo, a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, during the 4th regular session of the interim parliament.
“Atty. Mapupuno was a man of many titles—each one earned through relentless pursuit and commitment. But it is as the President of the Mindanao State University System that his legacy truly flourished.
“His flagship 10-Point Agenda modernized the MSU system and elevated its role in peacebuilding and cultural preservation. He believed deeply in education as a tool for justice, unity, and regional empowerment. His dreams for Mindanao are now our responsibility to fulfill,” Sinarimbo added.
At MSU-Naawan campus, professors and students honored their late president by flying the flag at half-mast. They also remembered him through a multimedia presentation of his visits there.
“We gather with heavy hearts to honor and remember the life of our beloved President Sultan Atty. Basari D. Mapupuno… His legacy is one of service, compassion, and integrity, inspiring all of us to be better and to serve with the same passion he exemplified every day,” said chancellor Dr. Elnor C. Roa.
The MSU campuses in Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Iligan also paid tribute to Mapupuno. (Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)
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